The office workers, police officers, social workers and court employees Brian Sauvageau talks with have reached a breaking point.

They might come to work feeling OK, but soon develop chronic coughs and sneezing, scratchy throats, itchy eyes and even headaches. No one can find the mold they think is causing their symptoms. Unsympathetic colleagues say they feel just fine, so there can’t be anything wrong.

The problem is surprisingly simple, said Sauvageau, an occupational hygienist with CONN OSHA — the state Department of Labor’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

Indoor air quality is a growing issue. Belt-tightening has reduced custodial staff and budgets. Time-pressed workers aren’t enthusiastic about cleaning their workspaces. And the growing number of extreme weather events makes for more leaks and flooding. Poor air circulation and blocked heating systems aggravate the problem.

The impact is staggering. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that poor indoor air quality costs tens of billions of dollars annually in lost productivity and added health care. One study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 2010 concluded that improving workplace environments could save businesses $300 per worker each year.

In the past 14 months, Sauvageau has investigated 20 complaints filed by people who thought that mold was compromising the air quality in their workplaces. Of hundreds of samples that he collected, only one had mold levels that were considered significant.

Solutions require everyone in an office to work together in ways they haven’t had to do before, said Paula Schenck, assistant director of the Center for Indoor Environments and Health at the University of Connecticut Health Center. “It takes a team,” she said.

Workers, their union representatives, building owners, managers and cleaning staff all have to buy into the solution, said Ken Tucker, director of CONN OSHA.

“We do know air quality is a growing problem,” said Larry Dorman, a spokesman for Council 4 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in New Britain. “It’s one of the hidden dangers of the workplace.”

The union has worked with the state and with several municipalities on air quality in buildings ranging from schools in Bridgeport to police headquarters in Hartford. Workers are often unaware of the hazards. “And employers don’t tend to be proactive on issues like that. Sometimes it’s not their fault,” he said, noting that the state leases much of its office space.

Often, employees don’t realize that there’s more to air quality than mold levels.

Mold can be highly hazardous, Schenck emphasized. But people should look first for more obvious culprits if they don’t smell mold, can’t see water stains on walls or ceilings, and aren’t aware of any dampness or water from leaks, seepage or humidity.

“People go nuts about mold because it’s been so publicized, and I appreciate the concern,” Schenck said. “I always talk about three things: ventilation, moisture and dirt/dust.” Mold, she said, is always related to a water problem. “What mold tells you is there’s water where it shouldn’t be, and a biological material is growing.”

Dust is such a prevalent problem, Sauvageau made it the topic of an article in CONN OSHA’s May newsletter ( http://www.ctdol.state.ct.us/osha/2012/qtly-may12.htm). There is no doubt about its irritating effects.

People have different tolerances for the mites, pollen and spores in dust that builds up. Those who are sensitive have allergic reactions. Those who aren’t might think that nothing is wrong. The location of people’s workspaces can also aggravate their symptoms.

None of this is a surprise to Ray Cassarino, owner of Cassarino Commercial Cleaning in Wethersfield.

“I go into an office and the women are sneezing, especially at the reception desk. It’s a haven for dust,” he said. Cassarino lifts the phones, looks at the wires behind the computers and checks under small equipment like fax machines. He can tell how long the dust has been there by how it clumps up. “It’s sick what I find,” he said.

Symptoms like itchy eyes, a runny nose and headaches can be caused inadequate ventilation and by dust and dirt because the respiratory system is being irritated. People feel better once they leave the environment, Schenck said. Asthma-like symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, are harder to diagnose as building-related. Breathing can be affected by a wide range of irritants — including mold. Prolonged exposure to some of the contaminants in dust can also cause asthma-like symptoms.

Sensitivity and exposure make all the difference. Schenck recalls one woman who complained that the vent above her desk was blowing air onto her. The custodian, trying to be helpful, diverted the flow with a piece of plastic. The woman became ill and couldn’t understand why — after all, the air wasn’t blowing on her anymore. A UConn hygienist took a “wipe” sample from the plastic and discovered that it was loaded with bacteria and mold.

When Sauvageau goes into workplaces, he finds congested offices and desks loaded with clutter. Storage spaces are too small, so supplies and equipment are piled in work areas. Heating and air conditioning equipment isn’t maintained and cleaned. The walls and floors behind heating units and desks are filthy. Furniture obstructs ventilation or makes it hard for the cleaning staff to do its work. People don’t want anything on their desks or shelves moved, which also makes cleaning difficult.

Some buildings — hospitals, factories and schools, for example — are now courthouses, town halls and offices. They weren’t designed for that use. Balancing the ventilation and keeping the space clean can be a tremendous challenge.

Cassarino said that many companies have cut back on spending for custodial services. They have unrealistic expectations of how much can be done in a limited time with a limited budget.

“It’s a bidding war,” Cassarino said. He suggests that businesses and building owners carefully evaluate not only cost, but the level of service they’ll receive.

Sauvageau wants employers to realize that poor air quality can affect employee attendance, productivity and morale. Some of the people who called CONN OSHA were facing disciplinary actions for missing work too often because of their illnesses. They had been diagnosed with sinus infections, bronchitis, allergies and asthma.

Building managers have a hard time because people like different temperatures and have different tolerances for air flow. Generally, Schenck said, it’s not good to cut down on ventilation. That lets contaminants accumulate. She also discourages the use of scented air fresheners because they irritate some people.

That, she said, is the kind of “joint responsibility” that’s required to create a healthy environment. For their part, workers need to be vigilant about their own spaces, and they need to make sure that what they do doesn’t diminish air quality for their co-workers.

If you are having problems, Schenck and Sauvageau suggest you:

• Act promptly, because prolonged exposure can lead to chronic symptoms.

• Start by defining and tracking your symptoms. What time of day do you have them, and where are you?

• Try to correct the problem through your supervisor and union representativess first. Consider breaking down the office and doing a thorough cleaning. When dust is the problem, symptoms often improve immediately.

This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team (www.c-hit.org).

EPISODE 542: Eugene C. Cole, DrPH – Research to Practice: Water Damage, Sewage, Mold & Public HealthThis week we look forward to our interview with Eugene C. Cole DrPH. Dr. Gene Cole is Director of Research for LRC Indoor Testing & Research, Cary, NC; and formerly Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. He has 35 years of research experience, with a primary focus on the ecology of indoor and work environments, with special emphasis on identification and reduction of pollutant reservoirs and sources, bioaerosols, human exposure assessment and control, product evaluation, cleaning and restoration, mold and sewage remediation, and biocides.
Since 2000, he has continued to conduct research on the relationship between the use of antibacterial cleaning and hygiene products in the home, and antibiotic resistance; as well as on the effectiveness of cleaning to reduce the transmission of disease agents in schools. He has also worked with national and international organizations to address environmental health and infectious disease concerns such as medical waste management in Central Europe and South East Asia, hygiene promotion in Africa, and healthy homes and buildings in the U.S. and Asia.
Dr. Cole is a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI), and a Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association. He holds a Master of Science in Public Health Microbiology and a Doctor of Public Health in Biohazard Science and Occupational Health, both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Thu, 11 Apr 2019 13:00:00 -0400EPISODE 541: Jim Harris, Sr. – Chairman & Founder Concepts4 & Janitronics Co-founder & Chairman of CIRI – Cleaning, Success & ScienceThis week we look forward to our interview with Jim Harris, Sr., a consultant, trainer, corporate executive, and entrepreneur. Jim has had a productive and successful career in the cleaning industry for 45 years. Jim started Janitronics Facility Services in 1972 as a local cleaning service. The company has since evolved into a seven branch, comprehensive cleaning, maintenance and management service, but has a new approach: Thinking small; they specialize in creating, and sustaining a healthy indoor environment utilizing state of the art, effective ‘cleaning systems’ based on validated cleaning science research. Mr. Harris is also co-founder and chairman of the Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI). CIRI is the clearinghouse for unbiased, peer-reviewed technical information and research about the science of cleaning or restoration of the indoor environment.
Jim Harris has done what others have only dreamed of while building a profitable company. His company was built first and foremost on the science of cleaning. The company uses state-of-the-art equipment and processes to clean for health. To increase productivity, Janitronics developed its’ SysteamCleaning (TM) concept, utilizing state of the art workflow based on systems thinking and high performance standards. In 2000 the leadership of the company completed a succession transition to Jim Harris, Jr. and is headquartered in Albany, N.Y. They are not just dumping wastebaskets and cleaning restrooms. They pride themselves on cleaning a work environment to maintain a high health standard; focused on properly removing bio-contaminants and airborne particles. Janitronics has been successful in transforming cleaning into a science.

Fri, 05 Apr 2019 16:56:00 -0400EPISODE 541: Jim Harris, Sr. – Chairman & Founder Concepts4 & Janitronics Co-founder & Chairman of CIRI – Cleaning, Success & ScienceThis week we look forward to our interview with Jim Harris, Sr., a consultant, trainer, corporate executive, and entrepreneur. Jim has had a productive and successful career in the cleaning industry for 45 years. Jim started Janitronics Facility Services in 1972 as a local cleaning service. The company has since evolved into a seven branch, comprehensive cleaning, maintenance and management service, but has a new approach: Thinking small; they specialize in creating, and sustaining a healthy indoor environment utilizing state of the art, effective ‘cleaning systems’ based on validated cleaning science research. Mr. Harris is also co-founder and chairman of the Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI). CIRI is the clearinghouse for unbiased, peer-reviewed technical information and research about the science of cleaning or restoration of the indoor environment.
Jim Harris has done what others have only dreamed of while building a profitable company. His company was built first and foremost on the science of cleaning. The company uses state-of-the-art equipment and processes to clean for health. To increase productivity, Janitronics developed its’ SysteamCleaning (TM) concept, utilizing state of the art workflow based on systems thinking and high performance standards. In 2000 the leadership of the company completed a succession transition to Jim Harris, Jr. and is headquartered in Albany, N.Y. They are not just dumping wastebaskets and cleaning restrooms. They pride themselves on cleaning a work environment to maintain a high health standard; focused on properly removing bio-contaminants and airborne particles. Janitronics has been successful in transforming cleaning into a science.

Fri, 05 Apr 2019 16:56:00 -0400EPISODE 540: Rachel Adams, PhD – Research Scientist at UC Berkeley & California Department of Public Health Research to Practice – Moisture Measurement and MoldThis week we look forward to another Research to Practice presentation from one of the leading IAQ researchers in the world Rachel Adams, PhD. Dr. Adams is a microbiologist with a deep curiosity for how microbes work and how microbial interactions shape the environment around them, including our homes and our health. She is a Microbiologist with the California Department of Public Health and a Project Scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, in the Department of Plant & Microbial Biology. Dr. Adams has expertise in using sequence-based technology to study microbial exposures in indoor environments, has developed methods to improve the identification of microbes, and has interest in understanding the consequences of indoor microbial exposures on human health. Dr. Adams holds a B.S. from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. from Stanford University and is a member of the Mycological Society of America and the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ).

Fri, 29 Mar 2019 16:54:00 -0400EPISODE 539: Christine Oliver, M.D. – Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA – Odors, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and More an MD’s Perspective (Flashback Friday: Original Air Date 4-7-2017 | Episode 455)This week we Flashback to one of our more popular shows with Christine Oliver, MD. Dr. Oliver joined us to discuss Odors and Chemical Sensitivities about 2 years ago. This was prior to our first YouTube videos so we are going to add some graphics and photos this week. Dr. Oliver is President of Occupational Health Initiatives, Inc. in Brookline, MA. She is an Associate Physician in the Department of Medicine (Pulmonary and Critical Care Division) at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Board certified in occupational medicine and in internal medicine. Dr. Oliver’s primary specialty is Occupational and Environmental Medicine, with an emphasis on occupational and environmental lung disease. At the MGH she evaluates and cares for patients with occupational and environmental illness and disease, including occupational asthma, interstitial lung disease, building-related health problems, and chemical sensitivities. Dr. Oliver has done research and published in the area of occupational lung disease and she has testified before the United States Congress with regard to work-related health issues and risks.
For the past three decades an important focus of Dr. Oliver’s consulting work has been indoor air quality and related health effects. She has lectured and published on this subject and she has been actively involved in indoor air quality assessments in a variety of settings. These include health care facilities, courthouses and other government buildings, schools, and commercial office buildings. Together with industrial hygienists, engineers, and human systems specialists she has worked to identify, characterize, and resolve air quality problems and their related health effects. In 2009 she was a participant and presenter in the ASTM Johnson Conference on the standardization of mold response procedures. An important component of Dr. Oliver’s clinical work has been in the area of fragrances and their related health effects, including causation and/or exacerbation of chemical sensitivities. She has lectured on these topics, counseled patients and their families with regard to steps that can be taken to identify and remove fragranced products from their environment, and advocated for a fragrance-free policy in the clinic in which she works.

Fri, 15 Mar 2019 16:50:00 -0400EPISODE 537: Parham Azimi, PhD – Research Associate Illinois Institute of Technology – New Research on Particulate Matter & MortalityThis week we welcome Parham Azimi, PhD to Iaqradio+. Dr Azimi is a research associate in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology. Much of his research work has focused on fate, transport, and control of indoor aerosols of indoor and ambient origin, chronic health impacts of fine particles in various microenvironments, and energy performance of residential and commercial buildings. Parham is a member of ASHRAE Technical Committee 2.4, UL 2904 Standard Technical Panel, International Society for Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ) and American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR).
Dr. Azimi’s work came to our attention recently when we were sent a copy of a recent paper he worked on with Brent Stephens, PhD called “A framework for estimating the US mortality burden of fine particulate matter exposure attributable to indoor and outdoor microenvironments”. Dr. Stephens joined us on March 13, 2015 for a great show on The Intersection of Building Science, Energy Efficiency & IAQ.

Fri, 08 Mar 2019 16:46:00 -0500EPISODE 536 - Ritchie Shoemaker, M.D. – Part 1 of our series with the Mold Warrior (Flashback Friday: Original Air Date 4-25-2008)Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker first joined Iaqradio as a guest back in April of 2008. Since then we have welcomed him back once a year or so to update us on his research into Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS). Today we are going to replay our first show with Dr. Shoemaker and we hope to have him join us again soon for another update. Following his bio we have listed all our shows with him over the years.
Ritchie Shoemaker, M. D., is a recognized leader in patient care, research and education pioneer in the field of biotoxin related illness. While illness acquired following exposure to the interior environment of water-damaged buildings (WDB) comprises the bulk of Shoemaker’s daily practice, other illnesses caused by exposure to biologically produced toxins are quite similar in their “final common pathway.” What this means is that while the illness might begin acutely with exposure to fungi, spirochetes, apicomplexans, dinoflagellates and cyanobacteria, for example, in its chronic form, each of these illnesses has similar symptoms, lab findings, and Visual Contrast Sensitivity findings. Taken together the inflammatory illness from each of these diverse sources is known as a Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome.
We do not have a blog for Dr. Shoemakers first few shows. He joined us before Cliff started doing a weekly blog. It may take a few time listening to make sense of everything he is proposing. It was very helpful when he sent me the Bio-toxin Pathway chart to follow. Print this out and have it handy while listening to his shows and it will help you immensely.

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 16:43:00 -0500EPISODE 535: Oliver Threlfall - CEO Steamatic of Australia - A Unique Perspective on how the Global Restoration Big Dogs Play!Over the past 30 years Oliver Threlfall has been totally dedicated to the cleaning and restoration industry. He studied biology at Deakin University- before commencing Steamatic in Melbourne, Victoria in 1986. He then completed IICRC (The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification) training in various modules and in addition took Microbial and Bioaerosol remediation training under the guidance of Dr. Tullis and Dr. Thulman of Duke University. Steamatic was formed in Australia in 1986 following requests from underwriters to establish proven claims reduction services that had been demonstrated overseas. They then transformed an established cleaning company into a specialist cleaning technologies firm. Oliver is the Steamatic of Australia CEO which makes him a very busy and connected man "down under".

Thu, 21 Feb 2019 15:21:00 -0500EPISODE 534: Corbett Lunsford - The Home Performance Worskshop & The Worlds Highest Performance Tiny House on Wheels!Corbett Lunsford, wasn't a home performance expert- he used to play piano for ballerinas. In 2008, he learned a few things very quickly: construction is unbelievably messy, most pros are over-rushed and under-paid, and homeowners end up suffering in small ways, for their entire lives in a house. None of this has to be so- we can opt out of the whole thing with performance testing. His goal is to package building performance so it can easily be understood and used by professionals and consumers alike, for better buildings worldwide. In 2009, he started teaching pros through the Building Performance Workshop and he has hosted over 300 YouTube videos and 80 interviews for the Building Performance Podcast. He also wrote the book Home Performance Diagnostics: the Guide to Advanced Testing, and developed the APT Reports software tool.
In 2016 he and his wife Grace built the world's highest performance tiny house on wheels, the #TinyLab, and toured the US before settling down in Atlanta, Georgia. Along the way, they created the first TV series about home performance, Home Diagnosis, which airs on public TV across the U.S. Corbett, Grace, and their new baby went on a 13,000 mile, 34-city U.S. Tour from April 2016-January 2017 in the world's highest performance tiny house on wheels, the #TinyLab. Their mission was simple: to revolutionize the home market by teaching consumers and contractors alike to use scientific testing to prove the work gets done to quality standards. Each city on the Proof Is Possible Tour was sponsored by a local company that shared the passion for empowering homeowners and changing the game. Along the way certain cities shared in filming of the couple's TV show Home Diagnosis. They invited over 7,000 strangers into their home on the tour, and now live in Atlanta, Georgia.

Thu, 14 Feb 2019 15:32:00 -0500EPISODE 533: Open Mic - Topics for this week include: Current Events, Certification, Standards, Training, Networking & ResourcesToday we are going to try something new and if it works we will make it a regular part of the line up. We are going to throw out some topics, invite a few friends and have a discussion about IAQ, disaster restoration and building science. We also encourage listeners to text in your questions or comments. Today we expect to hear from Jay Stake, Eric Shapiro, Carl Grimes, John Downey and Pete Consigli. The topics we will throw out for discussion will come from the list in this week’s show title. We have some of the leaders of the industry join us every week so lets take advantage of that and start a conversation.

Thu, 07 Feb 2019 15:56:00 -0500EPISODE 533: Open Mic - Topics for this week include: Current Events, Certification, Standards, Training, Networking & ResourcesToday we are going to try something new and if it works we will make it a regular part of the line up. We are going to throw out some topics, invite a few friends and have a discussion about IAQ, disaster restoration and building science. We also encourage listeners to text in your questions or comments. Today we expect to hear from Jay Stake, Eric Shapiro, Carl Grimes, John Downey and Pete Consigli. The topics we will throw out for discussion will come from the list in this week’s show title. We have some of the leaders of the industry join us every week so lets take advantage of that and start a conversation.